vivacious
Americanadjective
adjective
-
full of high spirits and animation; lively or vital
-
obsolete having or displaying tenacity of life
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vivacious
First recorded in 1635–45; vivaci(ty) + -ous
Explanation
A vivacious person is lively and spirited: a vivacious dancer might do a back-flip off the wall and then jump into the arms of her partner. Some people are just naturally fun to be around; they sparkle, they animate any group they're part of, they're full of life. That, in fact, is the root meaning of the word: it's from Latin vivere "to live." It has more of a sense of playfulness than lively or animated. Even the most sedentary slob can feel revitalized in the presence of a vivacious soul.
Vocabulary lists containing vivacious
Animal Farm
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"My daughter would have been 62 on the 6 May, and, of course, we remember her as the beautiful and vivacious woman she was at 46. That is how I will always remember her."
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Miriam is vivacious and energetic but dogged by an unexplained sin from her earlier life—a sin that vests itself in the sinister person of her “model.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Rothman, hired in 1975 by Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke, became the vivacious president and general manager of the Forum during a pivotal moment in the Lakers’ history.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025
Chloe McGee was a teacher at O'Fiaich College in Dundalk and the principal described her as "vivacious", "a lovely girl", and a "master of her craft".
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025
Aunt Elizabeth had said that Susan was vivacious and charming, never mind that she was a little older than he was, and had been in Nigeria for a while and could show him round.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
